The heads of the studios, like Louis B. Mayer, didn't want to create any more musical stars. So Bobby [Fosse] left and went to New York City to be a choreographer, and created brilliant work.

I started to earn money because we didn't have money.

Every performer should learn a little bit of everything. Most performers today only play the guitar.

If you do a musical, it's really thrilling and it's a lot of work, but it's very rewarding. I would say, for me, what I like best is what I do, which is, I call it vaudeville, I call it live, I call it in concert, I call it what Bette Midler does, and what Garland did for years, and Ethel Merman.

I have over five thousand costumes and props and cars, and I have a twenty-five thousand square foot warehouse full of memorabilia.

When I was doing theater in the 1950's, 60's and 70's we weren't allowed to film any of the shows that I did, it was against union rules. It was a stupid law, because so much is lost. We now have no record of these famous stage plays, so it turned out to be very narrow-minded thinking.

I loved working with Bette Davis. Bette Davis was great to work with and a wonderful teacher, and very kind to me. We became good friends.